The Five Megillot

Among the twenty four books of Tanach, five of them are known as Megillot. Each is read during a different holiday.

Megillat Esther is read on Purim, as it gives the details of our victory over Haman and our enemies in Persia.

The Megilla of Eicha, Ecclesiastes, is read on Tisha B’av, as it recounts the tragedy that was associated with the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash.

Shir Hashirim, Song of Songs, written by King Solomon, is read on Pesach. The symbolism of the story of two lovers, represents the love between Hashem and the Jewish people. It also refers to the redemption that is to take place on Pesach.

The Book of Ruth is read on the holiday of Shavuot. It takes place during the harvest season. One of the names of Shavuot is Chag Hakatzir, the Holiday of Harvest. Also, Ruth accepted the Torah as a convert. On Shavuot we all accepted the Torah on Mount Sinai.

On Succot, we read the fifth Megilla, known as Kohelet, Ecclesiastes. This was also written by King Solomon. It speaks of the vanity of this world. As king, he tried everything under the sun to find happiness. In the end, he realized that the only thing that makes sense is to fear Hashem and keep the commandments.

This is an appropriate message for Succot, as most Jews were farmers, and this was the most profitable time of year as they sold all of their crops. They needed to be reminded not to be led astray by their wealth. Money does not buy happiness and they needed to remain focused on what is truly important in this world.

The Megillot enhance our holiday observance as they drive home the message of each of our special days of the year. It is a good idea to study Kohelet in greater depth during the week of Succot. It will really help us get a perspective on things.